


Broken Solidarity: A Voltron FanFiction

by Lacey_Cheshire_Grin



Series: Broken Solidarity: A Voltron FanFiction [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Coran is involved for once, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, OC has no bearing on canonical plot, Other, Shiro needs a break, Zarkon needs to calm down
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2017-01-14
Packaged: 2018-09-09 10:51:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8888026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lacey_Cheshire_Grin/pseuds/Lacey_Cheshire_Grin
Summary: After saving the Balmera and exorcizing the castle and before planning to attack the Galra posts in Season 1. 
A supposed ally is found adrift in space.
Hope is instilled for the release of more prisoners of the enemy.
Things become unraveled.
The cost of a tidy ending can be steep.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is partly based on a dream I had when in emotional distress after finishing Season 1 of the new Voltron series on Netflix. This fanfic is not meant to have any bearing on the events of Voltron as a whole, just an added snippet I thought up. I chose no real pairings - only slight hints - since that's not the main focus of the fan fiction, and so people are still free to ship whomever they please. 
> 
> This will probably be only 5 parts, definitely no more than 10 though. My da account is LaceyChesireGrin, where I also post this. I may have a picture of Th'Awen up there eventually for better visualization.
> 
> Enjoy~

_Part 1_

“Princess, there’s something coming up on the navigation that you might want to see…” Coran spoke wearily into the castle’s intercom system, “Paladins, you should get down here too.”

Arms crossed and stroking his mustache in a nervous manner, his eyes scanned the fluorescent Electric Blue hologram projections. On the main screen, enlarged and enhanced, was the castle’s position in respect to what the royal advisor feared; a small lone pod floating towards them; barely functional enough to send out its distress beacon. But scans showed that its technology was of Galra origin. This caused unease in the rest of the castle’s inhabitants as well.  
  
“This is certainly odd. There’s no other signs of Galra ships or settlements anywhere near us. The Balmera we just liberated was the only one in the vicinity.” Allura came along side Coran and tapped away at the dashboard in order to try and collect more data if any existed. “It does look like an escape pod – there is a life form inside – but the hull been badly damaged. I don’t think the life support system or the distress signal will last much longer.”

“Well we can’t just leave it out there, we’ve got to pull it in and check whoever’s in there. If the pod is banged up they might be in worse trouble than just running out of air.”  
  
“What if it’s just a trap set by the Galra, Hunk? Trying to catch us off guard…” Keith shook his head, hand on hip.  
  
His self proclaimed rival Lance gave a begrudging sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah I, I got to agree with Keith on this one. We should just get out of here, if the Galra are behind this they’re probably tracking the pod as we speak. It’ll lead them right to us.”

“But if it was someone actually trying to escape, they could have useful information. It might be another one of their prisoners… What do you think, Shiro? You yourself were able to escape, do you think we should help?”

The Black Paladin looked to his Green companion and then to the others, features set in stony thought. Turning his gaze towards the holographic dash, he nodded to all of them. “Let’s get the pod into the airlock and check it out, but have your bayards ready just in case. At the very least we can deactivate the distress call and and any other tracking devices that might be on it.”

                                        ~                                                                      ~

The dimly glowing pod teetered as it came to rest in the castle’s air lock, the weight within seemingly unbalanced in loo of impressive dents and jagged holes in the exterior. The signature Fuchsia glow of Galra tech faded in and out in accordance with the beacon for help, and there was no window to determine the state of its cargo from the outside. The Paladins just watched the new arrival from the other side of the air lock door for a while, curious but hesitant. Even when the panel doors slipped open, no one moved instantly.

“… Keith, go check it out…” Lance nudged the Red Paladin forward, somewhat hiding behind him.

Stumbling forward a few steps before freezing up like a deer in ultra bright headlights, “Wh-What?! Why me, you do it!”  
  
“What, you scared~?”  
  
“No, but if you aren’t scared either then you should do it!”  
  
“Enough you two!” The head Paladin gave each of them a scowl, to which both bit their tongue and backed off from each other and the open air lock door. “Hunk, come help me pry off the hatch, it looks loose enough.”

Waving the big guy over, the two of them approached the the pod, taking hold where they could on the warped sheet of space metal. It took a couple heaves but they were able to break it from its hinges. It clattered to the floor as they moved I to reveal the passenger inside. Curled up in a ball at the bottom of the capsule was someone in Galra prisoner garb, tattered and lightly scorched in a few places. Though it looked to be of a humanoid stature much like the Alteans, its skin looked to be an oval scaled gold and any slashes or burns on its body produced a syrupy Licorice colored substance. Its eyes seemed wide open and Milky White like it was already dead.

“Man, they’re in bad shape… I think they might already be dead… Will the medical pods even work on them in this state?” Pidge adjusted her glasses as she stepped closer for a better, but also to search for anything that looked like a tracking device. There was none to find.

The escape pod’s power finally made a low humming noise as the light was completely snuffed out, signifying the air support had finally failed. When the sound faded, the Milky White sheen of its eyes slipped down to show the reptilian like pupils; Cyber Yellow slits buried into Eerie Black irises. Their body gave a sudden jolt as it took a long and painful breath of air, followed by a raspy, strained outcry.

“Ah!” Pidge skittered away and jumped up onto Shiro in self defense as he himself instantly assumed a defensive fighting stance.  
“What the quiznak!?” Both Lance and Keith activated their bayards, taken off guard.

“Guys, guys, hold up! It obviously needs help, it’s not in any shape to fight...” Putting himself between the escape pod and his teammates, Hunk crouched down to get a better look at the escapee. “Hey, take it easy, it’ll be okay. Can you move, talk…?” The prisoner let out a low guttural moan and some indecipherable mumbling, barely lifting an arm toward the Yellow Paladin before the sheen threatened to cover their eyes again. “Okay, someone get one of the medical pods ready, we got to at least try it.”

“I-I’ll go tell Coran and Princess Allura!” Deactivating his weapon, Lance ran out of the room back towards the main bridge as Pidge dashed off to set up a medical pod.

Keith left his bayard at the ready just in case as his two other teammates did their best to lift the escaped prisoner out of the broken vessel without injuring them further. The cloudy ocular film was fighting to take over again, and the thick layers of black threatened to bubbled with fresh tar. Elongated fingers hung at the ends of limp arms as Hunk held them up from underneath the shoulders and Shiro took hold of the legs, the calves and feet bent backwards similar to equine anatomy.

As the Red Paladin escorted them, they walked as fast but as steady as they could to where Pidge waited. The princess and her advisor rushed to the scene with the Blue Paladin leading them in. Allura’s hand covered her nose and mouth in shock and Coran stifled a pained groan at the sight of the creature. They straightened them out as much as they could to align them within the healing pod before sealing them in. There was a bout of silence as they digested what had happened within these last few minutes.

Shiro was the first to break the quiet. “We should jettison the escape pod just in case, it’s not going to have any information store in it…”

“It might have the coordinates of it’s place of origin though, we might need it if…” Pidge glanced at the occupied healing pod before continuing, “You know, in case they don’t make it. It’d still give us a chance to disable another Galra ship, and probably even free more prisoners...” Everyone knew that she hoped to find the other members of the Holt family when saying that, but no one brought it up. No on blamed her for it.

“You can go ahead and check it if you want Pidge, but I think our new friend here is going to be fine,” Coran was going through the medical data being filtered into the castle’s hardware from the pod in use. “Looks like they’re already healing, it shouldn’t be too long before we can get them conscious again.”

“Good, then we’re staying right here until they do,” Allura stood by Coran to asses the incoming data. Keith went off to dispose of the Galra escape pod as the rest stood there in wait, Pidge following to collect any data from it, just in case.


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After saving the Balmera and exorcizing the castle and before planning to attack the Galra posts in Season 1.
> 
> A supposed ally is found adrift in space.
> 
> Hope is instilled for the release of more prisoners of the enemy.
> 
> Things become unraveled.
> 
> The cost of a tidy ending can be steep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is partly based on a dream I had when in emotional distress after finishing Season 1 of the new Voltron series on Netflix. This fanfic is not meant to have any bearing on the events of Voltron as a whole, just an added snippet I thought up. I chose no real pairings - only slight hints - since that's not the main focus of the fan fiction, and so people are still free to ship whomever they please.
> 
> This will probably be only 5 parts, definitely no more than 10 though. My da account is LaceyChesireGrin, where I also post this. I may have a picture of Th'Awen up there eventually for better visualization.
> 
> Enjoy~

_ Part 2 _

Not too long after, the medical pod made a light whirling sound as the seal opened with a swirl of frosted air. Everyone watched as the occupant stumbled out, some with their bayards at the ready. Obviously still woozy from their endeavor they fell to their hands and knees, filling in their lungs and shaking their head trying to reorient themselves. There were still little scars within their scales from some of the worse burns but there was no more Jet Ink leaking out. Lifting their head they saw what they could only assume were their captures, especially from the looks of that one Galra tech arm, their body just quivered and choked out the most pitiful little cry.

“Just.. just kill me… don’t send me into that arena again… please…”

Every weapon fell from their aim at that utterance, all of the deactivating. When no one spoke and the final blow didn’t come, the escapee looked up at the crowd again, “What are you waiting for… What are you waiting for!?”

“Fear not, weary one. We are not here to harm you...” Allura stepped towards them with welcoming arms. “We discovered your escape pod and brought you in. You’re safe here, for we are Voltron, The Legendary Defenders. Tell me, what is your name..?”

“… Th’Awen…” They moved to stand, still a bit shaky in the legs. Shiro went to try and help them up but they swatted his hands away, using the medical pod to steady themselves instead. “Even with _that arm_ , you don’t... _seem_ like Galra sympathizers…”

“Of course not!” Keith sneered a bit while Shiro took a step back, holding his prosthetic.

“Yeah, we’re the ones fighting the Galra! Seems like the only ones sometimes, though..” Lance crossed his arms in an offended huff.

“But, you said you were Voltron... that’s just a myth…”

“I assure you we are no myth! Our appearance has just been, delayed, a bit..” Coran chirped, stroking his mustache if not a bit nervously.

“10,000 years delayed by what I hear…” Th’Awen pushed themselves from leaning on the medical pod, finally steady on their own two feet. They took a moment to just look at all the people around them before speaking again. “Well, I mostly believe that you will not harm me.. So, thank you, for saving me. I’m sorry we couldn’t meet under better circumstances.”

“We’re happy to have found you Th’Awen. I am Princess Allura, this is my advisor Coran, and these are the Paladins of Voltron..” She gave a proper introduction to everyone before continuing. “I know we all have questions for you and you have some of your own I’m sure, but you should rest for now. Are you hungry at all?

Before they could answer, an ungodly sound was emitted from their torso. Such a noise spooked their rescuers, for which they had to apologize. “You can just consider that a yes...”

“All right then, everyone to the dinning hall! I think we’re all in need of a little relaxation after this event. Some food will do us good.”

Coran and Hunk fought over who would control the kitchen, speeding past everyone else. Allura escorted Th’Awen with the other paladins trailing behind.

                                           ~                                                                      ~

By the time they had gotten settled in the dinning hall, Coran and Hunk had both come out with a separate dish and a shared glare. It was apparent that they couldn’t decide who should cook and both whipped up something. They each presented a plate to their newest guest. “Here, you decide!”

“Why do you two always fight over who’s the better cook?” Allura rubbed her forehead in annoyance.

“Nothing wrong with a bit of healthy competition!” Coran hollered, grinning as Th’Awen went to try his dish first

Despite their hunger they were frugal, taking a whiff of it and poking at it. It was somewhat shiny and gelatinous in nature, making odd noises when handled in any way. When satisfied with the inspection, they brought the rim of the plate to their mouth, the opening of which released a whip like tongue that snatched the food like a snake strikes a rat, and swallowed in all in one go. The others gawked. The same scrutiny was applied to Hunk’s dish as well, and was eaten equally as fast. Letting the food settle as everyone else was served, they finally gave their ‘verdict.’

“I liked the first plate of food better, but both are good…” The odd noises of their torso concurred with its owner’s statement. “May I have more to eat..?”

Coran gave a wide grin and a victorious laugh as he went to oblige the request for more food. Hunk followed suit, not about to give up just yet. “Do you think you can answer some questions while you wait for more?” Pidge asked while taking a bite of her own meal.

“I will, do my best to give an answer to whatever you ask…” Th’Awen sat back with a rather resigned stature, but their words rang true enough.

“How did you escape from the Galra in the first place? And how did your escape pod not just get caught after ejection?” Shiro started off without hesitation.

“I had been watching the guard shifts in between the arena fights, hoping to get through during rotations. I had gotten word that the ship I was aboard was preparing to make a portal jump, so I decided I had to do it then or never…” They paused to gather their words, absentmindedly brushing their fingers over a scar on their shoulder; one of many. “Suffice it to say, I had not memorized the rotations well enough. The guards were able to wound me before I sealed myself away in the escape pod. I think I jettisoned the pod right as the ship made the jump, I don’t know how else the pod would have been damaged to severely. I think I lost consciousness soon after…”

“Do you know where the ship you were on was headed?” Keith looked them over, not really having touched his dish. Coran and Hunk returned by this time with Th’Awen’s second helping before sitting down themselves to eat.

“I do not. I just know the ship was to act as reinforcements for some sort of trouble. I, overheard a guard mention it..”  
  
“Maybe it was one of the ships we defeated at the Balmera,” Lance said with a sort of hopeful smirk. “No need to deal with it now.”

“So there, was a battle…?” Their voice sounded somewhat disheartened.

“Yeah, we saved a Balmera colony that was being drained by the Galra, we basically annihilated the opposition.” Hunk got out in between bites of food.

There was a stiff silence following that summation. Pidge was the first to realize why Th’Awen had become mute. “.. How many other prisoners were on that ship…?”  
  
Th’Awen chocked on their response, “… We were, a ship with a smaller arena than some others, but… there were, many prisoners… including my… my guardians, and my siblings…” The air became too dense and though they tried their best to resist, Ivory liquid slipped from their tear ducts, splashing into the half eaten dish.

Pidge wanted desperately to ask whether her family was aboard that ship despite the very real possibility that they too were gone, but she held her tongue. None of the other paladins knew what to say. When it became clear that there wasn’t any progress to be made for now, Allura escorted Th’Awen to an empty guest room to rest while the others contemplated.


	3. Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After saving the Balmera and exorcizing the castle and before planning to attack the Galra posts in Season 1.
> 
> A supposed ally is found adrift in space.
> 
> Hope is instilled for the release of more prisoners of the enemy.
> 
> Things become unraveled.
> 
> The cost of a tidy ending can be steep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is partly based on a dream I had when in emotional distress after finishing Season 1 of the new Voltron series on Netflix. This fanfic is not meant to have any bearing on the events of Voltron as a whole, just an added snippet I thought up. I chose no real pairings - only slight hints - since that's not the main focus of the fan fiction, and so people are still free to ship whomever they please.
> 
> This will probably be only 5 parts, definitely no more than 10 though. My da account is LaceyChesireGrin, where I also post this. I may have a picture of Th'Awen up there eventually for better visualization.
> 
> Enjoy~

_Part 3_

Once the princess left them to rest, Th’Awen collapsed onto the bed with an awful and grievous moan. Any lingering pain from their escape that the healing pod didn’t thoroughly asses mixed with the newfound emotional stones weighing in their stomach. Even if it wasn’t certain that their family met their demise, the thought alone was too much to comprehend at the moment. It was just all too much.

After an indeterminable length of time, there was a knock at the door to their room. When Th’Awen failed to answer the door whooshed open to show Shiro, carrying some folded up clothing in his arms.  “Hey, we found some clothes for you to change into. Though honestly, we’re not entirely sure if any of this will fit you right. But it’s better than the prisoner outfit.” He stepped inside, causing Th’Awen to turn their attention to the black paladin.   
  
They had long stopped the flow of White, only a rim of flaky Platinum remaining under their eyes. Sitting up on the bed, they gestured for him to set the clothing down on the foot of the bed. “Thank you, you can leave them there…”

He did as he was told, with a light sigh. “Can I ask something…?” Shiro waited for a nod before continuing, “Why did you escape the ship without the rest of your family? It didn’t sound like you tried to escape with them.”

Th’Awen made a hard swallow before answering, as if to lock away a quivering voice in order to speak coherently. “Two of my siblings were, taken to work in some other faction of the ship, I hadn’t seen them since our capture. My guardians and my other sibling, saved for the arena fights like me, were in cue for the battles during my escape, I could not have brought them is I wished… I suppose…” Their voice began to break despite their efforts, “I suppose I thought that I could return, stronger, and with help, to save them…” 

When they didn’t say any more he cleared his throat, trying to console them the best he could, “I can understand what it’s like, being in a situation like that…” His arm was enough proof of that. “If the ship that your family’s held on is still out there, we’ll free them and any other prisoners there. I swear to you as a Paladin of Voltron…”

All Th’Awen could reply with was a nod, wiping away the faded tears from their eyes. Feeling contented with the solidarity established, Shiro left for them to change and recover a bit longer before meeting with everyone else again.

                                    ~                                                                      ~

There was a myriad of clothing types, most from Coran and Allura’s belongings, but a few were donated from the paladins as well. Eventually, they found a pair of pants that fit about the waist even is shorter than desired, and a shirt though cropped on their figure was baggy and comfortable enough. No footwear was to be had, not that any would fit, talons or otherwise. There was a jacket too, however it was too tight in the arms so fastening it around the waist seemed the only option as to wearing it. Nothing else caught Th’Awen’s interest, or could not be used in any way with the other articles of clothing. They gathered the unused bunch to return to its owners, stepping out to find them.

“Yo, you chose my other jacket!” Lance perked up as he saw the castle’s newest inhabitant enter into the main lounging area. “Looks good on you, just like me~” He shot them his signature flirting move; finger guns and a smirk to match. Like always, it only elicited a unanimous groan from the others.

“Hey, glad to see my shirt fits,” Hunk grinned, giving Th’Awen a thumbs up. Confused, but intrigued, they gave a thumbs up in return with a little half smile.

“You look much better now as opposed to your prison garb..” Pidge looked up from her laptop with a smile before going back to whatever she was working on. Keith and Shiro nodded in agreement.

Th’Awen left the bundle of unneeded clothes on the center table for them to collect at their leisure. “Thank you again, I’m grateful.” They made a motion with their hand, touching their forehead and then chest before stretching it forward to the paladins’ general direction.

“Come take a seat, we can talk about where to go from here…” The black paladin motioned for them to join the circle. “Do you feel up to answering more questions?”  
  
“May I ask some of my own, first?”

“What do you need to know?”

“You mentioned that you’ve saved a Balmera colony before now. How were you able to resist the Galra combatants?”   
  
“With Voltron, duh..” The red paladin rolled his eyes.

“What exactly is Voltron though? Not all the stories I’ve heard correlate…”

“Voltron is this conglomeration of five giant robot lions that talk with us through mind telepathy stuff!” Lance couldn’t help but chime in. “And we can summon special weapons with these handy dandy bayards too,” He flashed his own. Th’Awen blinked at it in curiosity until he shifted it into gun mode, evoking a fierce growl and the baring of multiple rows of fangs. With a light shriek Lance tucked the bayard away and clung to Hunk for safety. The guest’s response caused Keith to stand and ready his own bayard in case of attack.  
  
“Calm down, everyone. Th’Awen, he didn’t mean to startle you. Keith, it’s fine, put your weapon down…” Shiro stood with arms outstretched to try and curb any violent tendencies that might burst.

Seeing no threat, Th’Awen’s snarl faded to a glare before subsiding completely. Keith wouldn’t put his bayard away until ensured that it wasn’t needed. “Better. You know we don’t mean any harm Th’Awen, we promise…”  
  
The blue paladin popped his head out from behind his yellow teammate. “Y-Yeah, no harm meant, I swear!” Hunk gave an apologetic smile as well, still partly acting like a human shield. Keith clicked his tongue as he holstered his weapon and sat back down.

“… I apologize…” Th’Awen shrunk back with their head hanging a bit in willing submission.

“N-No biggie, no biggie...” The blue paladin emerged again, and the air lightened a small amount.

“Now, back to business..” The leader tried to bring everyone’s focus back to the matter at hand, “Did you have any other questions?”

“No, I do not…” It did not seem necessarily true, but there was no sense in pushing. “But, I’m curious about what the little one is doing.” They pointed to Pidge, fiddling around with her tech. “Pidge, yes..?”  
  
“Yeah..” she took a second before responding with more. “I was able to get home coordinates from the escape pod we found you in, I’m trying to figure out the status of it’s ship of origin in the Galra ship data base.”

“You can do that from your laptop?” Lance gawked.

“I can do many things from here, Lance..” She looked up with a knowing smirk, the lens flare of her glasses making it all the more ominous. “It should be ready soon, lots of junk to go through even for something simple like this. 

“Perhaps I will speak with the Princess while we wait... Excuse me…” Th’Awen stood up to excuse themselves with the same hand motion as before – forehead to chest then outstretched to all – before leaving the paladins to their own devices. The paladins picked their unused donations from the table in their wake.


	4. Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After saving the Balmera and exorcizing the castle and before planning to attack the Galra posts in Season 1.
> 
> A supposed ally is found adrift in space.
> 
> Hope is instilled for the release of more prisoners of the enemy.
> 
> Things become unraveled.
> 
> The cost of a tidy ending can be steep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is partly based on a dream I had when in emotional distress after finishing Season 1 of the new Voltron series on Netflix. This fanfic is not meant to have any bearing on the events of Voltron as a whole, just an added snippet I thought up. I chose no real pairings - only slight hints - since that's not the main focus of the fan fiction, and so people are still free to ship whomever they please.
> 
> This will probably be only 5 parts, definitely no more than 10 though. My da account is LaceyChesireGrin, where I also post this. I have also finally posted an illustration - albeit somewhat messy - of Th'Awen in their prison garb, chronologically before being found adrift in space by the Voltron team.
> 
> Enjoy~

Allura was working with Coran in the navigation room when Th’Awen found them. The princess was manning the castles position while her advisor handled coordinates and castle maintenance levels. “Ahh, Th’Awen, good to see you up and about! How’re you feeling?” The mustached man exclaimed, seeing them enter.

“Better, though I think I may have offended the paladins…” They explained the commotion that just transpired.

“You haven’t offended them Th’Awen, don’t worry,” Allura gave a reassuring smile as she waved them to stand with her at the podium. “Lance has a knack for doing things he shouldn’t, and we know you’re still a bit on edge. It’s understandable…”

They thanked her with their signature hand motion. “What are you working on right now?” They asked with a tilt of the head.

“Pidge’s laptop is currently connected to the castle mainframe so we can follow up on the progress of finding the ship you escaped. No progress yet but I think we’re getting close. As soon as we find something, she and the others are sure to rush on in here!” Coran grinned over to them from his post. “I got a feeling we’ll find it too, and once we do, we’ll give those Galra the ol’ one-two shot and get your family and the other prisoners free!” He pantomimed that “ol’ one-two shot” he spoke of with confidence shining through.

Almost on cue, Pidge charged in on Hunk shoulders carrying the precious cargo that was her laptop. The others followed quickly behind in quite a hurry. “There’s a time delay, but we got it!” When she said that a confirmation popped up on the castle’s main dash that the ginger advisor was controlling. “There it is, see! Really close too, in the next system over!” Coordinates and ship status were flashing in front of them on the monitors. The location was relatively close, but the ship itself seemed to be in distress. Assistance would surely be there soon, if not before Voltron and the castle could arrive.

“Think we can get there in time?” Keith looked over the monitor, arms crossed as usual.

“If we leave right now, we might be able to. If nothing else, we can take my lion and go in using it’s cloaking ability to figure out where the Galra reinforcements are taking it..” The green paladin hopped down from her bigger companion’s shoulders.

“We must try... Please…” Th’Awen’s gaze pleaded their company to comply.

The black paladin shared a look with the princess before nodding in agreement. “We’ll take the green lion first. If needed, we’ll call for the castle and the rest of the lions.”

The paladins followed their green compatriot, along with their new ally. The princess and her advisor stayed at their castle control stations.

                                     ~                                                                      ~

“Maybe we should have taken two lions, it is really cramped in here..” Hunk tried to scoot over as everyone clambered inside. It was already pretty cozy with all the paladins within one lion head, but Th’Awen’s size was making it more so.

“My lion is the only one with cloaking capabilities, it’ll do just fine.”

“Says the one in the pilot’s chair, you got all the room you want!” Lance was trying his best not to step on anyone’s toes.

Once the coordinates of the injured Galra ship were computed through the lion’s navigation, they sped off into the void of space to their destination. Disguised as the speckled black that surrounded them, the lion soon approached the ship they tracked. There was visible damage to the hull, but it did not seem to be as dire as the distress signals had led them to believe, and the ship incredibly smaller than expected. There were no Galra reinforcements present. The green lion came to dock underneath the ship letting the opening of it’s mouth connect with on of the air locks. Once a secure connection was established, the paladins and ally boarded the ship.

“Do you remember which way leads to the prison cells…?” The paladins crept around behind Th’Awen, watching for guards. The halls were eerily quiet.

“… This way…” They motioned for the others to follow them, hugging the walls and the corners to stay as hidden as they could.  
  
“Where are all the guards…?” Keith kept his bayard ready at all times.

“Maybe they’re all working on the ship’s damage,” Hunk crept about on his tiptoes, glancing about constantly.

“Hush!” Th’Awen hissed at them so sharply it made even Shiro jump a bit. “We’re close….”

Very soon they came to a large door, accessible only through a key pad with unfamiliar Galra symbols. At this point all the paladins had their bayards – and Galra tech arm – activated. Their guide extended an arm to still them, examining the entrance. After a moment, they began tapping away at the key pad to open their way. The paladins glanced at each other, suspicion beginning to rise.

Th’Awen muttered something about overhearing the code from the guards, but as the door whooshed open and guards stood armed and about to fire on spot, there was no more to be said, truth or lie. A thundering march of guards came up behind the lot at well, as scripted. Shots went off. Guards were blasted away, to be replaced immediately. The Paladins slashed and hacked away, anger growing and any level of suspicion confirmed. The oddly placed escape pod. The questionable escape story. The overall unease in their explanations. The strangely small ship. The peculiar lack of damage to the ship. The previous absence of guard.

**_“Th’Awen!”_ **

They no longer had an ally as they were taken over by the guards, to be hauled into the main counsel room that had opened before them. The trap was set and sprung perfectly.

Any solidarity that had formed was now broken.


	5. Part 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After saving the Balmera and exorcizing the castle and before planning to attack the Galra posts in Season 1.
> 
> A supposed ally is found adrift in space.
> 
> Hope is instilled for the release of more prisoners of the enemy.
> 
> Things become unraveled.
> 
> The cost of a tidy ending can be steep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is partly based on a dream I had when in emotional distress after finishing Season 1 of the new Voltron series on Netflix. This fanfic is not meant to have any bearing on the events of Voltron as a whole, just an added snippet I thought up. I chose no real pairings - only slight hints - since that's not the main focus of the fan fiction, and so people are still free to ship whomever they please.
> 
> In a fever induced stupor, it is finished. This will be the last of 5 full chapters, with a brief epilogue being uploaded shortly after this. My da account is LaceyChesireGrin, where I also post this. I have also finally posted an illustration - albeit somewhat messy - of Th'Awen in their prison garb, chronologically before being found adrift in space by the Voltron team.
> 
> Enjoy~

The guard were soon able to force the paladins to their knees, below where a holographic screen appeared. The guards not keeping their hostages subdued saluted to Zarkon’s image before marching out. The traitor stayed back behind the line of hunters and prey.

“Z-Zarkon…”

The leader of the Galra empire, callous in his rule of 10,000 years, now looked over the majority of his opposition indisposed. A cruel smile traced over his lips and a harrowing laugh slithered out from between them. It made all the paladins freeze up.

“So, a lowly Aipylaevis does in a matter of ticks what my empire could not achieve in all the time in the universe…”

Th’Awen hesitated but took a step over, fists balled and quivering. “I’ve done what you asked, now hold up your end of the bargain! Release my family!”

Though the anger was still very much present in the Voltron crew, something in each of them softened to a certain degree in hearing the conspirator’s motives. Pidge’s heart was still heavy with the absence of her brother and father. Lance and Hunk yearned for their families back on Earth. Keith knew he’d do anything to insure his teammates’ safety. Shiro thought of his team in full, princess and mustached advisor included. Understanding mixed with their feelings of betrayal.

“Bold speech coming from you…” Zarkon’s teeth gritted, but then gave a bit of a cruel smile. “But I will keep my promise. I have your family right here…”

The scene on the hologram screen moved to reveal a line up. Two adult Aipylaevis and three smaller ones, almost mirroring the paladins’ current positions. Battered, heads drooping. Their arms cocked behind them in electronic shackles. Guards where lined up in a row behind them, one for each. Th’Awen was about to call out, beginning the motion of their hand, but a word was never uttered as the entirety of their family was promptly executed at the wave of the emperor’s hand. Th’Awen froze as the Jet black blood of their kind burst from the bodies of the family only an instant before becoming cauterized by the lasers of the guns. A few drooped forward as if fallen asleep, the rest slumped against each other. A familiar milky white shine overtook all their eyes. Hunk nearly vomited at the sight, all of his team speechless.

“There,” The feed returned to Zarkon’s image, “They have been released….”

“That…” Their voice quavered almost uncontrollably, Ivory pouring from their eyes like an open faucet. “That was not… the deal we had…”

“You didn’t specify your meaning of the terms of our deal. Be thankful, that you are not joining them yet…” Zarkon’s tone was frigid, turning his attention to his men. As he gave orders on detaining and transferring the new captives to him, Th’Awen erupted.

“Did I need to _‘specify’_ exactly how I wanted to free my family and myself? Should I have made myself clearer so even a thickheaded, violence driven Galra scum can understand!? There is _no deal_ anymore! I never wanted to do this in the first place! **You are not going to win this time!** ”

With a primordial roar, Milky liquid spilt, and they took hold of one of the guard overlooking the paladins and flung it into the air like a rag doll before propelling it with a powerful kick into the hologram monitor of Zarkon’s image. The controls beneath shattered on impact, the call fizzling away. All the other guards turned to confront the attacker, freeing the paladins to charge them from behind. They went down easily, discombobulated. Th’Awen’s breath was short and rapid, adrenaline still pumping. Keith, Lance and Pidge aimed their bayards at the Aipylaevis after disposing of their guards. Shiro and Hunk too, stood defensive.

Th’Awen growled low in their throat but did not move towards them. They knew the damage they had done. The white tears were cleared from their vision, voice steadying. Let’s get out of here. You may deal with me however you wish back at the castle…”

                                          ~                                                           ~  
“Deal with you? We should just leave you here for the Galra to deal with you!”

“Yeah, like what the hell man?!”

“Keith is right, you tricked us into falling for a Galra trap and almost had us captured and probably almost executed...”

“I didn’t have a choice! I was given an opportunity to get my family back and I took it, I apologize that it involved immobilizing you, but I had to!”

The three primary colored paladins were all arguing with Th’Awen with hurried words when Pidge barked at them to get their attention, “Hey guys! We can fight about this back at the castle! More guards are bound to show up any minute now!”

“I am not letting them back into the green lion with us..” Keith protested with a harsh grimace in the traitor’s direction.

“Th’Awen is coming with us, for nothing more than interrogation Keith,” Shiro looked between the two of them, lingering on the alien. “You are our prisoner now, you understand...?”

They did not object. “My fate is yours…”

“We better hurry before the find my Lion…”

Pidge and her comrades readied themselves as their prisoner went to the controls for the door, opening them with the same code as before. Out in the hallways some of the Galra guards were standing at attention, ordered as a precaution in case their captives were trying to escape. They were easily thrown back, everyone’s rage and survival instincts kicking in. The resistance was taken down quickly but reinforcements could be heard coming, speedy marching echoing. The paladins retraced their steps back to where the lion was docked against the breached hull. Th’awen trailed behind with Shiro to deal with any enemies following them while the others led the way.

When they finally arrived to the entrance of the lion, it was guarded by even more like there was no limit. Keith hacked away with his blade. Lance and Hunk blasted their guns. Pidge stunned and flung with her electrified grapple. Shiro brawled away with his Galra tech arm glowing bright. Th’Awen hurled away anything in their path. As small openings were created in the carnage the paladins slipped into the docked mouth of the lion, tumbling into the cockpit. First the lion’s own paladin, then their blue and yellow companions. But the number of guards refused to cease.

As another opening offered itself, Keith called to his final teammate, “Shiro, get the prisoner and c’mon!”

The black paladin nodded, throwing off a guard before grabbing Th’Awen and trying to make it to the lion. They followed quickly but as their captor was boarding, a Galra gun blast hit the Aipylaevis square in the back, no doubt damaging the spine. A glottal groan slipped out as they fell to their knees, their body quivering as they lost their grip on Shiro.

“Th’Awen!” He reached for them but the escape opening was closing as more Galra emerged. Hunk and Keith tried to pull their leader in before he was apprehended as well.

Another shot hit them in the shoulder, black tar covering them front and back now. They looked to the entrance of the Green Lion’s cockpit where the paladins watched. As the mass consumed them, a shaky elongated hand rose to touch their forehead, then their chest, and lastly reaching out to the onlookers before they disappeared from view in the mob of Galra.


	6. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cost of a tidy ending is indeed steep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, six days before the season 2 premier and in a fever induced stupor, it is finished.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed~

There wasn’t much time for reaction as a few of the Galra tried for the Lion as well. Pidge directed from the pilot’s seat and made a speedy getaway, the lion vanishing just moments before Galra reinforcement ships entered this corner of space. The ride back to the castle was quiet.

Once docked and loaded back at the castle, Allura and Coran rushed to met the paladins, expecting Th’Awen and even a few freed prisoners with them; news of success. The princess and her advisor were instead met with the tale of the trap and the loss of their ally’s family and then themselves. Lance, as sensitive a soul as he was, fought back tears and Keith rested a hand on his comrade’s shoulder in an attempt of consolation. Pidge and Hunk, though solemn, went this Coran to try and continue with their original plans against the Galra empire before all this happened. Shiro assured Allura that no one had followed the lion back to the castle and that his team was unharmed. The princess comforted the black paladin as best she could. 

The end of this tribulation though tidy and neat, cost more than the Voltron team imagined.


End file.
